XN000022-1988-03-06 — Page 5

SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 1988

A HUGE BUILD UP IN TRADE AND TRAFFIC IS BRINGING NEW ROADS, MORE POLICE PROBLEMS TO THE COUNTRYSIDE. CATCHING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND STOPPING CRIME IS BECOMING MORE COMPLEX. THE RESULT WILL BE MORE WORK FOR THE POLICE, BOTH IN ANTI-CRIME OPERATIONS AND AT THE BORDER.

"PEOPLE STILL THINK OF THE FRONTIER AS RATHER A BACKWATER, SAID THE POLICE FRONTIER DISTRICT COMMANDER MR GWYN LLOYD. "BUT THEN THE ECONOMIC ZONE CAME WITH A RUSH AND SEVERAL BIG PROJECTS PUSHED THROUGH VERY QUICKLY.

WERE

"THE BORDER CHANGED ALMOST OVERNIGHT.

11

BORDER DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDED A NEW CROSSING POINT SHA TAU KOK, A NEW LO WU BRIDGE, A CROSSING POINT AT MAN KAM

ΤΟ. A NEW POLICE POST HAS BEEN OPENED THIS MONTH AT SHA TAU KOK.

AT

NOW

NEXT YEAR A NEW BORDER CROSSING POINT AT LOK MA CHAU WILL EVENTUALLY LINK THE AREA TO A NEW SUPER HIGHWAY TO GUANGDONG.

"ALL THESE THINGS HAVE

MR LLOYD SAID.

HAPPENED IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS,

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THE CHANGES ΤΟ THE AREA CAUSED BY THE HONG KONG-CHINA DEVELOPMENT HAS COINCIDED WITH GROWTH IN THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION.

IN SHEUNG SHUI DIVISION THE POPULATION HAS RISEN BY 30 PER CENT IN FOUR YEARS, MANY OF THE NEWCOMERS HAVING MOVED ΤΟ THE NEW TERRITORIES FROM URBAN KOWLOON.

THEIR ARRIVAL HAS NOT BROUGHT WITH IT AN INCREASE IN CRIME.

་་

"CRIME HAS ACTUALLY GONE DOWN, SAID MR LLOYD. BECAUSE OF OUR EFFICIENCY BUT A BIG FACTOR IS THAT UNDER WHICH THE PEOPLE ARE NOW LIVING ARE VERY GOOD.

"THIS IS PARTLY THE CONDITIONS

LEAD

"FORTY PER CENT OF THE NEW ARRIVALS COME FROM TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS IN KOWLOON WHERE IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO DECENT LIVES. THEY'VE RESPONDED TO THE IMPROVEMENT.

"AT SHA TAU KOK THE POLICE WILL BE IN AT THE MONTHS BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE REHOUSED IN JUNE.'

BEGINNING, THREE

RESTRICTED AREA IMPOSED BETWEEN MIDNIGHT

SOME 18,000 FRONTIER RESIDENTS LIVE IN THE ADJACENT TO THE BORDER, WHERE A CURFEW IS AND 4 AM DAILY.

"THERE'S NOT MUCH DEVELOPMENT THERE. IT'S MAINLY FARMLAND. BUT THERE IS SOME PRESSURE ON US TO REVIEW THE SOME CONCESSIONS CAN BE MADE, TO SHRINK

RESTRICTIVE.

RESTRICTIONS то SEE IF THE AREA OR MAKE IT LESS

/"UNFORTUNATELY ILLEGAL